1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to grasping elements and more particularly, but not by way of limitation, to improved food handling tongs useful as cooking utensils.
2. Brief Statement of the Prior Art
The backyard barbecue ranks with baseball and apple pie as famous American traditions. Barbecuing or "grilling" accommodates a wide range of food items, such as: burgers, hot dogs, chicken, kabobs, ribs, and just about any other meat item. Grilled food has a distinct flavor that is very desirable and boasts numerous health benefits as well.
Because of these flavor and health advantages, grilled food has become increasingly popular. In fact, many homes now have stove-top grill systems built-in to accommodate in-door grilling. The popularity of grilled food among consumers has also prompted commercial eating establishments to offer increasing numbers of grilled items.
Despite the enormous popularity of grilled food, cooking utensils currently used for grilling suffer from several drawbacks. Perhaps the most common cooking utensil used for grilling is the conventional spatula. To turn an item of food on the grill using a spatula, the spatula must be slid between the grill surface and the food item. Often times this involves pushing the food item around on the grill surface until the spatula finally slides under the food item, then flipping the food item back onto the grill so that the opposite side is exposed to the grill surface. Used in this manner, the spatula frequently does not cleanly pick up food from the grill.
The conventional spatula also does not allow one to conveniently check the doneness without turning a food item over to view the bottom side of the food item, and multiple turning is required to view the cooked sides of the food item. To check doneness using a standard spatula, one must flip a food item over so that the bottom side of the food item can be viewed, then flip the food item back so that it can continue to cook on that side. When cooking delicate food items this process can deteriorate the integrity and appearance of the food.
Another commonly used utensil for grilling is the conventional set of kitchen tongs. Such conventional tongs are not well suited, however, for many food items, e.g., burgers. Use of such tongs often causes the same problems in picking up food items as caused by a spatula. Further, such tongs operate in an up and down direction (i.e., in a vertical plane), requiring the operator to manipulate the operating hand in an uncomfortable wrist position.
In addition, there is currently no single utensil that is well suited for all of the various items of food which may be cooking on a grill at the same time. For instance, a spatula is generally adequate for burgers, but a set of conventional tongs is required for chicken.
Thus, while prior art cooking utensils exist, there remains a need for a single utensil that is useful for the various items of food which are often cooked on a grill and which does not suffer from the drawbacks of currently available devices.